Chapter 0 Stella Star a prelude
by James Neal
Summary: A young girl is sent too the Jedi Academy after being found in an escape pod that she stole to escape a slaver ship. Her story is the beginning of and epic adventure that spans 100 chapters of what I think is the longest Star Wars fan fiction yet published. Two years in the making the stories involve many varied characters and already has hundreds of followers on my website.


Stella Star

It all started here

The story of a failed Jedi

"Again!"

Stella blocked the blow from above and a second from the right.

"Again!"

This time the attack came from an upward swing followed by a downward slash. She blocked both easily.

"Again!"

The next two attacks were blocked easily as well. She had been at this for an hour and no matter what her master tried he couldn't break her defense. The third attack was completely unexpected. He spun suddenly and kicked her feet out from under her causing her to land hard on her rear end.

"Hey! You cheated." she said angrily.

"No, you misjudged what was happening. You assumed this lesson was about me testing your ability to block attacks. The truth is it was an exercise to see if you could be tricked into your letting your opponent make you think he was doing one thing but all the while he was setting you up for something else.

" I hate it when you trick me." Stella said.

"Your anger is what I'm trying to help you with. You know this is your last chance. They sent you here so you can learn how to control it." Den said. He leaned forward and put out his hand to help her up.

Stella took his hand and tried to pull him down on the floor. Den released his grip letting Steel fall back on the floor again.

"I knew your anger would demand revenge for me tricking you. Your anger is my allie. I knew you would try something. Now look at you. Let go of the anger Stella." Den said sticking out his hand again. She took his hand as well as his advise. He helped her back up to her feet.

"I am sorry Master. It's so hard for me not to be angry. I have told you of my past and what they did to me. I want to make them pay for what they did." she said humbly.

"You know that that is a path you must never seek out. As a Jedi you must learn that it is your duty to protect others. You must keep those things from happening to others. You can never use your abilities to seek revenge. That shouldn't be your goal here." Den said.

"I'm sorry Master, I am getting better." Stella added.

"Yes you are. You have learned to control yourself much more in the last year. If you can learn to control your anger completely I can recommend to the Jedi counsel that you be allowed to graduate." Den said folding his arms across his chest.

"How much longer do you think it will take?" Stella asked.

"That is a question you should be asking yourself everyday because you are the only one that can answer it." Den replied.

He turned and walked back to his quarters. Stella grabbed her training equipment and started off down the hall. She knew he was right about her anger. She had to let go of her past and move on. It was hard to do. She had been kidnapped by raiders from her home. They had killed her parents and brother. She had her world destroyed on her thirteenth birthday. She was forced into slavery for three grueling years. The man responsible never was punished.

She had slipped away with two other girls in an escape pod while the slavers were transporting them to a secret base of theirs. They drifted for a long time until a Zabrack trader rescued them who then turned them over to a Jedi that he knew. Stella tested high in Force ability and was offered Jedi training. She agreed at once. She would learn the ways of the Jedi and hunt down the man who caused her so much pain and kill him.

Stella was an excellent student and a quick learner. She made friends easily and was well liked by most everyone who met her. Her only weakness was her temper. On several occasions she had lashed out at other students over small issues and had even become physically violent with them. Anger had always been known to be a path to the dark side and was taken very seriously. She had been given one last chance to learn how to control it or she would not be allowed to finish her training. They had sent her to train with Den Athgar, a Jedi master. He had an unconventional way about him that let him bond with troubled cases. He had helped several padawans overcome their demons and help them complete their training.

Stella walked down the steps and outside. She had a small house that she lived in at the end of Den's compound. It wasn't proper for them to live in the same house. Jedi are not aloud to have physical relationships. This was another problem for Stella. She had fallen in love with her master. She was only twenty years old and he was at least twelve years older than her. During her time as a slave she had been with men, sometimes by force, sometimes not. The times that she chose her partner she enjoyed it very much. Den was very mature and responsible. He was one of the few men that she had known that she could trust and count on. He was good looking and tall with a muscular build. She had found herself lying in bed late at night thinking about being in his arms. It added to her frustration that she could never be with him. None of this was helping her anger issues at all.

Stella went inside her small house and closed the door. She placed the training equipment on the shelf and went into her bedroom. She got undressed and stepped into the shower. The water was hot and felt good on her aching muscles. She washed away the sweat of a good days training and got out of the shower. After drying off she dressed in her robes and went back to the main house for dinner.

"Feeling better?" Den asked as she walked into the house.

"Yeah, a hot shower always makes me feel better." She smiled. He had showered as well and she could smell the scent of his freshly showered body as she squeezed by him when she came in. Stella hurried past and into the kitchen area.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked as she grabbed two cups.

"What? Oh, just water I guess." he said.

The house droid was finishing up the dinner. "May I get that for you Ma'am?"

"No I already have them, thanks." Stella replied.

"Very well ma'am." the droid replied.

Den and Stella sat and ate their meal. Den could sense something was wrong with Stella. She would usually ask him questions about what she needed to improve on. Tonight she was quiet.

"Is anything wrong Stella?" Den asked.

"I don't know if now's the right time to talk about it master." Stella replied without looking up from her meal.

"It's just that you're so quiet this evening." he said.

"I've been distracted lately, I think that's why I've been a little angry." she replied.

"What is it that has you so distracted?" he asked.

Stella had become used to being direct in her conversations. There wasn't a lot of delicacy in conversations when you were a slave. If the person in charge wanted information it was expected to be given quickly without any delay.

"You master, you are distracting me." Stella said looking up.

"How am I distracting you?" Den said putting his utensils down.

Stella put her utensils down as well.

"You are the nicest man I have ever met. You show me respect and patients. I think I'm in love with you master." Stella said looking directly into his eyes.

Den was stunned by her frankness.

"Stella, it's not that unusual to be attracted to a master. I am flattered but you mustn't talk that way. Eventually you will see these feelings will pass and you might regret having said them." Den picked up his utensils.

"I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable master. I won't speak of it again." Stella picked up her utensils and took a bite of food. "I will say this master. These feelings won't pass and I will never regret saying them."

Stella looked at her plate and continued eating.

Den looked at Stella. To him she was just a child, more than ten years younger than him. Technically she was a woman and old enough to make these decisions as are most women her age. She was a rare beauty, flawless in appearance and personality. He would be lying to himself if he didn't admit he was attracted to her. Her violet eyes and ink black hair that reflected the moonlight was hard to ignore. Luckily for him he was above these feelings. As a Jedi he had the discipline not to succumb to these desires. Besides, he'd seen this before. Regardless what she said these feelings would pass. He would make and effort not to pay too much attention to this matter.

"What will my lesson be tomorrow?" she asked.

"No lesson, only practice. What do you think you need more practice in." he asked.

"As odd as it may sound coming from me I think I need more instruction in politics. There is so much talk of corruption and planets wanting to leave the Republic I find myself very ignorant of current events."

"I'll do my best but most of what you hear is false. Politics is a great deal like swordplay. A great deal of your actions are meant to put your opponent in a bad position so you can more easily exploit it when the time comes to strike. Don't believe everything you hear, more than likely something was said or done for a completely different reason than you think." Den said.

He didn't realize just how right he was about the politics of the Republic.

Stella rolled over and shielded her eyes from the morning light. She sat up in the bed and rubbed the back of her neck and shoulders. She looked at Den lying next to her still asleep. It had been a little over a year since she told him how she felt about him. A part of her new that he felt the same way but even he couldn't admit it, even to himself. Six months later they had become lovers. They both new that if the Jedi council found out about them they would be separated.

There was even a good chance they would be kicked out of the Jedi order entirely. They didn't care. Den's home was far away from the Jedi Temple and he rarely went on missions anymore. He was wounded a few years ago in the head he had been having problems. The wound caused him to pass out for no reason at times. He was fine at his home as a teacher but not dependable enough for a mission any more.

She smiled as she felt his hand rubbing her back, he was awake.

"You haven't been so angry lately, I guess my training is paying off." he said.

"Your training and other things you've taught me." she smiled.

"I feel happy here with you. I don't want to leave." Stella said looking into the morning light.

"We both knew you had to go one day. You told me this wouldn't happen, you wouldn't fight It." he said with compassion.

"I wish you'd yell about it or get angry, then I could hate you. Then I could leave you." she wiped her eye.

"You'll do what you have to Stella. You're stronger than you think. Being a Jedi means putting others first. We will always love each other but our duty comes first." Den said pulling her back onto the bed next to him.

She looked over at his face. She could sense his sadness. "I'll go. I'll hate it but I love you to much to stay and cause us trouble. We'll see each other from time to time I guess." she said.

"In a way we're lucky. Most Jedi never get to have this tiny piece of joy that we have had." Den said.

"I am lucky to be here with you. I should be dead but the Force has placed me here with you. We will have to part but only physically.

The next day everything changed. In a freak stroke of fate a freighter that had been damaged made an emergency landing on the planet. The ship's Captain and crew were brought to the home of Den Athgar to rest and recuperate. During diner that night the Captain mentioned that Garth Wasa, the same man that had killed Stella's family and sold her into slavery, had attacked the ship. Stella jumped up from the table and ran out of the room. Den excused himself and followed. He found her in her house gathering her things.

"Where are you going Stella?" Den asked. He already knew the answer.

"Didn't you hear what he said? Garth Wasa is close by. He's probably at Shew Trevas's trading post. That's where all the local scum go after a raid. We'll take the shuttle, If we leave now we can be there in six hours." she said frantically.

"Stella, you can't go. You'll be thrown out of the academy if you do this. I won't let you ruin everything you've learned by killing this one man." Den said.

"He made my family watch as he raped me and then he killed them! How can you tell me not to do this?" she shouted.

"He needs to be brought to justice Stella, you can't meter out justice as you see fit. As a Jedi you need to put the law above your own emotions and do the right thing!" he yelled back trying to shock her into understanding.

Stella took a step towards the door. Den quickly blocked her way.

"Do it for us, do the right thing for us Stella." he said looking into her eyes.

Stella looked back in anger. "You should have helped me Den."

She pulled a blaster pistol out of her bag and shot Den in the leg. He fell to the floor in pain. He couldn't believe how badly he had misjudged her anger. Stella hesitated as she looked down at Den on the floor. She turned and ran down the hallway and into the courtyard. Stella made it to the long stone stairway leading down to the landing pad where the shuttle was.

"Stella !" Den called from the top of the steps. He had dragged himself outside and to the top of the stairs.

Stella was half way down the stairs when she heard him. She turned and looked up. Even from that distance she could see his face pleading for her to come back. Stella turned back and headed down the stairs and climbed into the shuttle. She entered the co ordinates for the trading post and took off. She was leaving behind everything she cared about to get revenge on the man that ruined her life. Her anger began to rise. He was still doing it. Garth Wasa was still controlling her actions. She couldn't rest until he was dead. Why didn't they understand that. They should be helping her. Who knew how many other lives he had destroyed since that night so long ago?

The shuttle lifted off the pad and headed towards the trading post. She put everything else behind her for now she would have to focus on the matter at hand.

It was only a few hours to her destination. A small outpost frequented by cut throats and other villains on the third moon of the neighboring planet. Stella landed the shuttle and went directly to Shew Trevas's trading post. Without having any real plan she burst into the trading post and looked around. The room was full of very bad people. Most just looked at this pretty young girl and laughed. "Who did she think she was coming in here? Go home to mommy ."one said. She ignored the comments and began to move around the room looking for her mortal enemy. Then she saw him. He was sitting at a table with about four other men. They were laughing and drinking. She hesitated for a second, the moment she had dreamed of was finally here.

"Get up." she said to Garth.

Everyone at the table ignored her.

"Get up !" she yelled kicking his chair.

Every one suddenly became quiet. Some of the men Laughed at her.

Garth slowly turned around and looked at Stella. He looked her up and down calmly and rubbed his chin. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"You killed my family and raped me, you made me a slave, now you're going to pay." Stella said.

"Go away little girl, just be lucky you lived to this day. I don't remember you." he said and turned back around.

"She must not have been very good if you don't remember her." one of the men said smiling.

"Can't remember all of them." he said. They all began laughing.

"Hey you, girl!" a man was yelling at her from behind the bar. "This is a quiet establishment, take your argument outside."

Just then one of the other patrons grabbed her from behind around the neck. "I got her Shew. Do you want me to chuck her out?"

Before Shew could answer Stella grabbed the man's arm and flipped him on top of the table where Garth was sitting. She drew her light saber and pistol. Stella took in the whole picture as she spun. A man from the table was drawing his pistol. She shot him. Another charged her from behind so she spun again and took off his legs above the knee with one swing from her light saber. He screamed in pain as he went down. Stella ducked as a chair went by her head hitting another man at the table. She looked around quickly to spot Garth but he was gone. She had lost him. The fighting went on with Stella killing three more men before she could get to the door and back out onto the street. Every body was screaming and running around. Something had caught the trading post on fire and there was smoke everywhere. Stella looked frantically for Garth but he had disappeared. It was too late, she had to make a break for it. Some of the patrons from the post including Shew had followed her out and had began shooting at her. Everything had gone wrong. She had to make it back to the shuttle before they cut her off. Along the way she had a quick shoot out with two of her pursuers killing one and wounding the second. By the time she had reached the shuttle the place was crawling with angry men looking for revenge. She was trapped.

To her right she noticed a man dressed all in black beckoning her to come to him. He was tall and good looking and most importantly, he had a ship. He was motioning for her to get inside with him.

She decided to take her chances with him instead of the mob. She ran to the ship and practically dove inside. The hatch closed before she could ask any questions and the ship took off.

"Stella you should know better than this. None of this stuff is very valuable." Arrawat said. He was the man who had rescued her from Shew's Trading post. She had been working with him for the past two years. He was training her to be a smuggler. Not smuggling large quantities of drugs or even slaves but small items like rare artifacts and stolen jewelry.

"It is to me, it's from my home world." Stella said somberly.

"Oh. I see. In that case I understand. But the next haul you'll owe me first pick of the loot." he smiled. Arrawat Hewdoor was the boss but he also knew it was a mistake to make Stella angry, better to take the loss this time. He had toyed with the idea of making a move on her but her anger always put him off. She was a perfect partner as things were so he never thought it was worth ruining. Stella always kept her word and he was always the one who decided the split. She had a sense of honor that made her grateful for saving her that day long ago so she let him be the boss. He saved her on a whim. He was just in the right place at the right time.

"Yeah, about that...I found a ship, I'm going to buy It." she said

"You still want to leave, eh?" he asked.

"You've been great to me Arrawat but I've got to finish what I started. I need to find Garth Wasa or die trying. It's burning me up inside knowing he's out there killing and raping to his hearts desire and I'm the only one that will stop him." Stella said looking away.

"Well Stella I always dreaded this day. I'll miss your terrible fits of anger and you breaking all my stuff." he smiled. Stella turned and looked at him smiling back.

"I am a handful." she said.

"I'm not a man of violence Stella but this man needs to be killed." Arrawat said in a very serious tone now. "I want you to take anything you need from the ware house, think of it as a going away present."

"Thank you Arrawat, I owe you a lot." she said.

"What will you do for money? He asked.

"I'm going to keep up smuggling, but I won't take any of your clients I promise." Stella said.

"Your word has always been good enough for me Stella." he replied.

" Well I'm here, what do you want Ganno?" Stella said as she slid into the booth at the bar. Ganno was one of the apprentices when Stella was there. They had never gotten along and it was her fight with him that got her kicked out of the Jedi Temple and sent to Den Athgar.

"Stella we need your help. There is something wrong with the Chancellor. Some of us think he means to double cross the Jedi counsel." he said quietly.

Stella looked around to see if anyone might be listening. "You have the nerve to ask me for my help. When I needed your help all your kind did was give me a bunch of crap about rules and duty. Now that you think all that stuff won't help you come running to ask "the problem child" for help." she said angrily.

"Stella you don't understand, the Jedi Counsel doesn't know I'm here. They still think they can handle things with the Chancellor. A few of us have our doubts. We've lost so many Jedi fighting in the clone wars that some of us that are left don't think we would survive if the Chancellor turned the clone troopers against us somehow." Ganno said.

"Your even crazier than I thought Ganno. Why would the Chancellor do anything like that? He's working with you Jedi against the Separatists. Why do you think he would turn on you?" she asked.

"We have our reasons. All we need you to do is help us if that does happen. You're just as good a fighter as any of us but you never graduated, you're not on any list that says you're a Jedi. They won't come looking for you." he said.

Stella sat back and looked at Ganno. "You're real scared Ganno, you really believe this could happen?" Stella asked.

"It doesn't matter what you think of me Stella. I know if you give us your word that you will help us if the things I've said come true, you'll do it. All I ask is you give me your word that if this thing does happen that you will help us." he said.

Stella looked at him, he knew more than he was saying. He had found out something that no one would believe and he was desperate.

"Okay Ganno, I'll do it, I'll help if things go badly." she said.

Ganno sat back and gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you Stella, I mean it."

Stella hadn't paid much attention to what was happening in the war, it wasn't her concern. She looked at Ganno and wished she had been paying more attention. Something wasn't right. She didn't like Ganno but she knew he had great instincts about trouble. Something was very wrong.

Stella was loading her ship with the supplies she needed to get home. This last run had been quite profitable. She had made enough money to sit back and take it easy for a while. The Separatists were on the run and the war would soon be over. She hadn't heard anything more from Ganno since they talked almost a year ago so she assumed the information he had was wrong.

In the background she heard a voice on the vid screen on the loading dock. It was a newsman talking about a Jedi uprising and how they had attempted to seize power from the Chancellor.

Stella froze in her tracks. Ganno had been right.

The announcer also said that all Jedi were to turn themselves in or be shot on sight. Stella carefully moved her light saber under her cloak.

It had happened just as Ganno said it would. They were hunting Jedi now. She thought of Den Athgar and wondered if he was safe. She quickly finished loading her ship and climbed into the cockpit. Suddenly there was a commotion on the landing field. A Zabrak wearing the robes of a Jedi was running across the field. He had his light saber drawn and had deflected back a few shots from about ten clone troopers. He finally fell as several of the shots hit him. His body tumbled and then lay crumpled on the field. The clone troopers rushed to his side and in one horrific instant shot him to bits.

Stella sat back in the seat in shock. She should have helped him. She should have tried to warn the other Jedi when Ganno told her about what was coming but the truth of the matter was she was too angry at the Jedi for not helping her with Garth Wasa she had at some level decided not to help them.

She could have done something but chose not to. At that moment she remembered her promise to Ganno. She had to find the remaining Jedi and save them. She knew places they would go, she knew where they would hide. She also remembered the great Feloid pledge of protection. If any Jedi were in trouble they would hide and protect them. The Feloids had always remained neutral and they had the means of enforcing their neutrality if they had too. She would go to them for help and aid. She would then begin to search the Jedi temples for survivors.

"Where should we begin?" Lionette asked Stella. Lionette was the Princess and heir to the Ty Clan in the Feloid expanse. Stella had negotiated with Maxis Ty himself for aid. The great Maxis Ty promised Stella he would help her anyway he could. He even sent his first born, Lionette, to aid Stella in her quest.

Stella new little about the Feloids and their culture so she was quite shocked to find they were a race of slave owners and breeders. Although she strongly disapproved of any type of slavery she would keep silent for the sake of the remaining Jedi. Maxis wisely suggested she find or hire others to help them in this task as soon as possible and had even offered to finance her in this endeavor.

"I will go to the Jedi Temple on Reptus Prime and try to get there before the clone troopers do. I want you to meet up with an old friend of mine. He goes by the name of Baltis; he's a Reptus also. He knows you will be coming.

"I will follow your commands as my father wishes Stella." Lionette said.

"It will be about two weeks before the clone troopers get to attacking Reptus Prime. I have one last thing to take care of before I can devote my life to this quest. I have found the location of the man who killed my family and that debt must be collected first." Stella said.

"Family blood must always be avenged." Lionette said in agreement.

Stella was glad Lionette was being as cooperative as she was. The Feloid code of honor gave her no choice.

"Thank you for your help Lionette, and yours too." Stella said to Lionette and the cute little slave with pink hair. The slave just smiled and half hid behind Lionette.

"I am your servant but I must ask you not to speak with Timtam. She needs to know her place and you gesture of kindness will just confuse her." Lionette said coldly and in a very official way.

" It won't happen again." Stella held back her first response as not to jeopardize the support she had gained. Her destiny had been set in motion by powers far greater than she. It was up to her and others like her to save the Heroes; she must save the last of the Jedi.

Clone wars = 3years Game starts 3 years later =6 years


End file.
